Beautiful Make-Ahead Easter Brunch
A delicious, make-ahead feast for Easter, or even a lazy Sunday with friends.
Photo by Annabelle Breakey
Planning any holiday meal can be stressful, but a little advance planning can really help. Deciding what to make can be half the battle, and so we’ve provided a full menu here. Don’t worry; we’ve provided the recipes, too!
A three-course meal with sides and cocktails might sound like a crushing amount of work to take on, but many of these dishes can largely be prepared in advance. Rolls and quiche can be baked the day before, and even though the meat does take time to cook, it takes minimal supervision, freeing you up to prepare for your guests the morning of the feast.
Stress is about the only traditional element missing from this menu. Ham, that Easter standby, anchors the meal—although a spicy lemon glaze gives the dish a contemporary spin. Hot cross buns and spring greens are in there, too. Other elements, like asparagus quiche and citrus salad aren’t canon, but are perfect for a meal marking the boundary of late winter and early spring.
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As important as the food is at a party, presentation is key, too. We’ve got some advice about how to personalize each place setting, and how to present a centerpiece as beautiful as the dishes. (Click here for more ideas about how to set the perfect Easter table.)
Of course, you can modify this suggested menu any way you please. (Just for starters, you may want to consult this roundup of vegetarian Easter recipes, because ham is in no way mandatory.) Whether you follow this menu to a T or not, we wish you a very happy Easter!
Easter Brunch Menu
Asparagus and morel quiche, ham with sticky Meyer lemon–spice glaze, and citrus salad make up this elegant spring feast. And best of all, most of the preparation can be done the day before.
Get started the day before:
- Quiche: Bake and chill.
- Ham: Trim and score ham (step 1 of recipe); make glaze and chill (step 2).
- Buns: Bake, but don’t add icing.
- Citrus salad: Prepare and chill.
- Watercress salad: Stem watercress and make dressing; chill them separately.
Finish up in the morning:
- 2½ hours before: Start baking ham.
- ½ hour before: Put quiche and buns into oven with ham (tent both with foil). Make fresh o.j. and orange slices for drinks.
- 15 minutes before: Remove buns from oven and ice them. Set out ham and salads; dress the watercress.
Baked Ham with Sticky Meyer Lemon-Spice Glaze
Be sure to buy a ham without added glaze; it would mute the flavor of our extra-citrusy one.
Asparagus and Morel Quiche
For the neatest slices, make quiche a day ahead; let it cool, loosen it from pan edges, and chill. Cut into wedges, then reheat.
Recipe: Asparagus and Morel Quiche
Orange Hot Cross Buns
You’ll need to plan ahead to find or make candied orange peel (try our recipe for Candied Citrus Peel or buy from gourmet food stores or Market Hall Foods)―it’s worth it.
Or use orange marmalade in its place: Heat 18 oz. thick-cut marmalade until bubbling, strain well, and substitute 1/4 cup of the syrup for the granulated sugar in step 1 and 1/2 cup orange pieces for the candied orange in step 2; add 1/4 cup extra flour in step 3.
Recipe: Orange Hot Cross Buns
Sunshine Citrus Salad
A super-easy, crowd-pleasing salad that bursts with color.
Recipe: Sunshine Citrus Salad
Lemony Watercress Salad
Add a generous squeeze of Meyer lemon juice to accent peppery watercress.
Recipe: Lemony Watercress Salad
Campari and Orange Sodas
A low-alcohol drink that’ll please negroni lovers.
Recipe: Campari and Orange Sodas
Springtime Centerpiece
Arrange yellow tulips, white freesia, white stock, and kumquats in an Aalto vase (from $99; finnstyle.com).
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